During regular monitoring of seabirds at Slovenian sea, on 23rd August 2012, Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) was observed on open sea between Izola and Piran. A juvenile individual was floating on surface of the sea about 7 km from the coast. This is an exceptional observation since there have been only four accounts on occurence of this species in Slovenia.
The Parasitic Jaeger is a sea bird from the family of Skuas (Stercorariidae), belonging to the order of Charadriiformes. Plumage of this gull-like bird is of dark brown colour (three colour morphs exist with different proportions of white). The middle tail feathers are pointed out and form a spine, well visible in flight. The species breeds in the north of Eurasia and North America in open tundra. It is a migratory bird, wintering in tropical seas and southern oceans.
During summer at Slovenian sea, the most common birds besides the Mediterranean Shag are Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahelis) and Mediterranean Gull (L. melanocephalus). Among rare species, Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) has also been observed this summer. This species is a quite regular guest in Slovenian sea and it exceptionally occurs in flocks up to 1000 individuals.